Knit care

A well-cared for knit should last for many years.

Neighbourhood Knits are made using a range of natural fibres, including merino wool, mohair & cotton. Different fibres have different properties, based on whether they come from animal or plant origins, their molecular and structural composition, and how they’ve been turned into yarn.

Understanding these properties can help us care for our clothing better, and for longer.

Your Neighbourhood Knit will come with a unique web link that will provide care instructions you can follow, specific to the style and fibre of your garment.

General care instructions

The following instructions can generally be followed when caring for most natural fibres.

Washing

Hand wash only, in lukewarm water. Use a gentle wool or delicates wash (which shouldn’t contain any harsh detergents). Lightly press water out - do not wring tightly as this will stretch your knit.

Drying

Dry knits flat to avoid stretching. Lay the garment on a clean towel and roll it up to squeeze out any excess water. Unroll it, then reset the garment’s shape on the towel and dry flat on the ground.

DePilling

Small fluffy bobbles often appear on knits - this is called pilling. It is common in natural fibres, and easy to get rid of! You can remove pilling by cutting away big balls with sharp scissors, removing with a wool comb, a depiller or even a regular razor.

sTORING

Hanging knits can cause them to stretch and lose their shape, so it’s best to store them folded. If you really want to hang your knit, use padded hangers to avoid sharp fold lines on the shoulders. Store in a cool, dry place and be aware of moths!

  • The less you wash you knit, the better - both for the garment and for the environment. In general, we don’t need to wash our clothes as often as we do.

    Natural fibres have wonderful properties. For example, wool is naturally stain and odour resistant, so requires less washing. Wash your knit when you need to, and remember you can also spot wash for spills and stains.

  • Hand washing is always best for any knitted garment. However, dependent on the fibre, some knits can be put through a delicate, cold machine wash.

    This will usually apply to knits made from (sheep’s) wool, not mohair or other more delicate fibres.

    Your individual Neighbourhood Knits garment URL will give you specific care instructions and let you know if you can gently machine wash you knit. If in doubt, it’s always safest to hand wash.

  • Cool to lukewarm water is best to maintain your knit’s shape and size. Washing natural fibres in hot water can cause them to shrink.

  • If your knit has stretched or changed shape, try washing it and resetting its shape by drying it flat on a towel. This process is called blocking, and is used by knitters after finishing a garment to set its shape and even out stitches.

    Blocking tends to only work with small amounts of stretching, so if your knit has stretched significantly this may not work. You can either try to shorten your knit at the hem or sleeves for jumpers, or embrace a new oversized garment!

  • Pilling (or bobbling) refers to the small lumps or balls that can appear on natural fibres after they’ve been used for a while. It is caused by friction and rubbing during general everyday use, which agitates the surface fibres and causes them t clump together and form small balls.

    Natural fibres tend to be more prone to pilling than synthetic fibres, and knitted fabrics are more prone to pilling than woven fabrics. This means pilling if very normal for a garment hand knit from natural fibres.

  • If you snag or tear your knit, or find a loose stitch or seam, it will almost always be fixable.

    If seams come undone, you can restitch them with an overstitch or backstitch. If you get a hole in your knit, you can use some spare yarn to darn it.

    Feel free to get in touch if you have a question about the best way to approach this, or would like a hand in the mending process. I’ll do my best to see what I can do.